Love Can Be Hard To See
by SharpayTROY
Summary: Zashley. Ashley has been acting very strange lately much to Zac's concern. But when he finds out what's really wrong, he know's just how to make everything better.


Ashley couldn't bare it much longer. She hated her own best friends. Everytime she watched Zac and Vanessa playing couple she got this feeling that her heart was going to jump up her throat, and she wanted to cry. Zac was a jerk. A blue eyed, sweet, jerk who had always known how to make everything okay when she had been upset before. But now he was the jerk who was causing all of her pain. She would have sworn a month ago she was almost his. Then Kenny had asked Zac and Vanessa to be seen together more, to promote the movie, and they liked it. Well screw all of them.

Zac glanced up at Ashley, feeling her pained gaze on him and Vanessa who were sitting together on the couch. Ashley swallowed, and forced up a smile. She was an actress after all. So why couldn't she do better than this? Zac smiled back at her, then hugged Vanessa and directed his eyes back on the tv screen.

"Jerk." she whispered, and stood up walking over to Corbin. Maybe she could talk to him. He sat in a chair, wrinkling his brow while he read a large book. "Will you look at them?" she whispered, biting her bottom lip and doing anything in her power to avoid the tears threatning to fall from her eyes at any moment.

Corbin looked up from his book. He offered Ashley a weak smile and set his book on the mahogany coffee table beside him. He stood up and gave her a hug, whispering, "He loves you Ashley. I know he does. He just may not realize it at the moment." Ashley pushed Corbin away. "No he doesn't. He's a jerk." Corbin sighed, "You certainly have been favoring that word lately haven't you?"

Ashley could feel the tear drop. She tried to stop it but fat salty tears were falling from her face, one after another. She gave up and let them pour, trembling and heaving as she did so. She had to get out of that room. Everyone was now staring at her, worried or concerned, wondering what had made her suddenly outburst.

"Ash?" her tourmentor was the first to touch her. Ashley screamed and slapped Zac's hand away, turning to run. "Ashley!" he called after her, but she ignored him and sprinted outside to her car, her vision blurred by her tears. He ran out after her, "Ashley! Wait!" She put the keys in the ignition, and slammed on the gas petal, charging into the car in front of her. Damn parrallel parking!

"Ashley!" he was running towards her trying to stop her from wrecking her car again. She went full speed in reverse and slammed into the car behind her too. Now she was stuck. "Well good!" she said out loud, "I might as well pay to fix these cars today. It gives me something to do."

Zac jumped into her convertable, resting in the passengers seat, looking more than alarmed. "Ashley." he said quieter this time. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him, while she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.

After moments of silence, Ashley broke the ice, "I don't like the cologne you're wearing." she said bitterly. Zac looked at her like she was crazy, "Excuse me?" Ashley's face formed a snear, "Did Vanessa pick that out. You'll wear nasty cologne just because she likes it?!"

Zac's expression quickly changed from concerned to angry, no rather furious. "Ashley what the hell?" he screamed at her, "Now is not the time for you to ask me about my cologne! Out of the blue you throw a tantrum at work, you run out ignoring me calling for you, wreck your car twice and almost kill yourself, and now you're angry at me?!!! And over cologne!"

Ashley continued to cry but stopped herself, "Get out of my car." she said. "No. Ashley I don't know what's gotten into you, but regardless you're obviously not stable right now, and I don't want to leave you alone. You're staying with me tonight." Ashley's breath quivered. Should she tell him? She pondered for a moment, and felt new anger grow out of her embarassment.

"You're a jerk!" she yelled, hitting him as hard as she possibly could in the chest, "And I'm not staying with you!" She felt tension release and in a furry she began to hit him over and over screaming, "Jerk, jerk, jerk,..." repeatively banging her fists on his chest. He stopped her hands by catching them with his own, and keeping them there. "I'm a jerk?" he asked sounding hurt. Ashley began to cry harder again and nodded, "Yes." she squeaked.

Zac looked at her sadly, "You want to tell me what's going on?" "No." Ashley said. Zac attempted to again hug her. "Stop." Ashley said, "It's to hard for me. You need to go. I want to be left alone." Zac hugged her anyways, "What's to hard for you?" he asked softly. Ashley looked up at him, her eyes filled with sorrow, "Getting over you." she whispered. She winced then continued, "But I still seem to be in love with you."

Zac blinked slowly, "_You_ love_ me_?" he asked in shock, "That would be correct." Ashley said, defeated. Zac smiled at her, "Ashley I love you too." Ashley whipped her head around to make sure it was still Zac sitting beside her. "What?" she asked. She had to be positive she had heard correctly. "I love you." he said once more. Ashley swallowed, "You do?" "Yes. If I had known, I would have-" "But you're dating Vanessa." Ashley intterupted. "For publicity. You out of all people should know that. I know she won't mind. I have loved you for so long, but I never had the guts to tell you."

Ashley crossed her arms, "Well you could have saved me, a lot of pain." Zac laughed, then said serious, "I'm so sorry. I do love you Ashley, truely." Ashley smiled gazing into his eyes, "I love you too." He kissed her, deeply and passionately. As long as he held her in his arms, as long as they had each other, nothing else seemed to matter.


End file.
